The Victorianator

We are always on the lookout for new reading apps, and especially for reading apps with an element of gaming involved (who doesn’t want to play with their literature?). So we were thrilled to see The Victorianator, an app created by LudicVoice that’s like a cross between a poetry reading and Wii Sports.

Here’s how it works: a poem appears on the screen of your iPhone (you need an iPhone for this app). You read the poem aloud into the phone (using the speaker setting) in a monotone. Then a steampunk robot takes you through a series of gestures that produce voice effects on the poem you just read. So, for example, sweeping an arm toward the sky will raise the pitch of the poem, whereas extending your arm will extend the sound of the word. The variations in pitch make the poem sound like it’s being read by an eminent Victorian; you’re scored on how closely your gestures match the robot’s.

According to the Globe and Mail, the game’s creators know their stuff. LudicVoice is led by Jason Camlot, who teaches Victorian literature at Concordia University, in Montreal. His development team included poets, graphic designers, and computer scientists, and Camlot studied Victorian elocution manuals to try to emulate the gestures and intonations of the era.

Before you try this, we suggest you train your ear with a visit to the Poetry Foundation, where Alfred Tennyson can help familiarize you with the Victorian style with his reading of “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

You can download the app on iTunes. Thanks to @webacion for pointing us to The Victorianator.

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